51Âþ»­

Banking giant NatWest has teamed up with 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) to help aspiring entrepreneurs.

This month, the bank’s flagship pre-Accelerator programme – which helps people get their business ideas off the ground – will launch for the first time in Leicester.



The free programme will be based at 51Âþ»­’s Innovation Centre in Leicester city centre. A half day ‘Ignition event’ will kick off an eight-week programme, with the majority of learning can be done online in your own time.

Sharon Rai, NatWest’s Entrepreneur Development Manager, said: “Pre-Accelerator is a great tool for anyone who is keen to kick start their entrepreneurial journey. The online modules will get you thinking about your customer first and testing your idea with your target audience. The fantastic community that you meet during Ignition means you’re not on your own.

“You’ll have access to like-minded and driven Entrepreneurs as well as a wide range of support from the university, NatWest, Leicester Start-ups and other local organisations providing expertise to businesses. The modules have been designed and built based on the work carried out in the NatWest Accelerators with thousands of high growth businesses, so you can work through them with confidence, and build your business in the right way.”

RELATED NEWS:
* Students inspired by first Entrepreneurship day
* Students can get free co-working space at Innovation Centre
* Jamal Edwards shares his top tips for success

Josh Dale, Innovation Centre manager, said: "The Natwest Pre-Accelerator programme is recognised as one of the most successful accelerator formats in the UK. We’ve partnered with Natwest to bring this programme to the Leicester business community to catalyse the progress the city has made in supporting and facilitating start-up growth. Businesses who join this programme will benefit from the wealth of experience of Natwest, the start-up community of the Innovation Centre and the expertise of 51Âþ»­.”

NatWest runs accelerator programmes all over the UK to help small businesses go further. The programmes are fully funded, enabling you to grow without taking any equity from your business. And you do not need to be a NatWest customer. Entrepreneurs get access to mentoring and coaching to grow their business and develop – fast.

The best and brightest businesses which have emerged from its cohorts across the country are featured in its inaugural #PowerUp index, which features the top 100 businesses to have been part of the programme.

How does the programme work?
The pre-Accelerator is a combination of online learning resources featuring webinars and digital workshops and real world events based at the Innovation Centre.

Programme:
An introductory half day Ignition Event – 23rd Jan 2020, 10am – 2pm (9:30am Registration for a 10am start.) 

Pizza and Pitch Competition – 20th April 2pm – 4pm followed by networking